An analysis of the nexus between youth urban mobility and COVID-19 trajectories for peace and development in Africa: Perspectives from Tanzania

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 posed prominent public policy concerns. It posed many unanswered questions, especially among the youth who require social protection in different contexts. The pandemic spread over 200 countries worldwide, infecting over 640 million individuals and resulting in the deaths of over 6.5 million people. However, the pandemic has a similar fundamental consequence, marked by widespread inequality across households and individuals. It is estimated that its consequences might be more detrimental, particularly among the youth in low-income families like Tanzania. The country received significant global attention for its COVID-19 response during the first year of the pandemic since it did not share pandemic statistics, implement lockdowns, and question vaccine efficacy while emphasizing traditional medicines. Despite the progress made, the ripple effects of the pandemic are still felt in the country and will probably remain for a long and drive policies for generations to come. Still, there is scanty information about how the youth have been affected by the pandemic, particularly in urban areas, and relatively little is known about the relationships between youth, urban mobility, and COVID-19 trajectories for peace and development in the country. This chapter uses Tanzania as a case study to assess the nexus between youth, urban mobility, and COVID 19 trajectories for African peace and development. The chapter relied on secondary data collected through a systematic review. Content analysis was applied to analyze the data. The chapter reveals several studies on youth and COVID-19 in Tanzania. Nevertheless, these studies are very few. Like other parts of Africa and the world over, COVID-19 has significantly impacted the youth in Tanzania. It also revealed determinants and challenges, like social, economic, health, mental, and learning effects, of urban youth mobility in the face of COVID-19. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has largely affected the lives of youth, this chapter provides relevant information that will prompt responsible authorities to adopt effective response measures for addressing the pandemic for enhanced peace and development in Tanzania and Africa. Keywords: youth; urban mobility; COVID-19 trajectories; peace and development